"Listen, are you breathing just a little and calling it a life?"
—Mary Oliver
Read that as many times as you need to and really process all of the implications within that simple statement. It’s beautifully profound. ✨
Now apply it literally. Are we breathing just a little? 😮💨 The answer to that is probably ‘yes’. Most of us do breathe ‘just a little’.
Literally.
In the Western world 🌎, especially, many of us are very shallow breathers. We use just a small portion of our lung 🫁 capacity and rob ourselves of the potential to regularly infuse our bodies with healthy doses of fresh oxygen 💨.
What happens as a result? 🙋♀️
Shallow breathing prevents the body from relaxing. It contributes to our stress levels 😖 by keeping the sympathetic nervous system activated 🔛. Our bodies cannot thrive when they’re locked in a chronic fight-or-flight 🤺🏃 response.
What can we do about this? 🤨
The answer is simple: we can breathe. 🌬️
So do it.
Right now.
Wherever you are, take a conscious deep breath as you fill your lungs 🫁 with fresh air. Hold the air in for just a moment and then slowly release it 💨 however feels intuitive to you. Repeat this a few times and remember you always have this power available to you. So breathe…and make the most of this life.
